If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Hybrid View

The Hero of Legend: Battle of Liberty

Eighty years ago...

... began a chain of events that eventually changed the course of history in Fizzytopia. A powerful and extraordinarily evil Pokémon came to Fizzy Bubbles from the far reaches of space to wreak havoc upon the land. Hiding in the cold, formidable region of the Glacier Islands where few men dared to travel due to the extreme temperatures, this force of evil laid in wait, biding its time in preparation to attack the inhabitants of Fizzytopia so that it could take control of the land and build an army of strong Pokémon warriors with which to conquer the world.

When a Fizzytopian research facility lost contact with one of their research teams who were based in the Icy Wastelands, they sent an expedition team out to locate them only to find everyone dead after having been brutally murdered. They soon came face to face with the evil space Pokémon responsible for this senseless slaughter, all but one of the expedition team meeting the same fate as that of the unfortunate research team. Luckily one scientist managed to escape and was able to alert the mainland to the danger which allowed for the Fizzytopian army to be sent out to restrain, or even kill, the vile creature before it could hurt anyone else. They never returned. Two more teams were sent to the location, but were also never seen again.

At their wits end, and having no real idea of what kind of enemy they were up against, Fizzytopia's leaders came together and agreed to bring in the one person they believed may be able to identify and kill the creature. Connor, a mysterious man of few words, was the most powerful trainer in the land. So powerful that he not only had an arsenal of super strong Pokémon on his team, but three Legendary Pokémon as well. If a trainer like Connor could control the Legendaries Articuno, Raikou, and Heatran, then surely he possessed the ability to stop this creature before it ventured out of the Glacier Islands and onto the Fizzytopian mainland.

True to his reputation, Connor not only found the mysterious Pokémon, he battled and defeated it. However, despite the fact Connor possessed a team most could only dream of, he was a peaceful man at heart and could not bring himself to slaughter the creature even though it had already killed dozens of men. After luring the evil Pokémon out onto a lone glacier floating in the arctic sea, Connor's Heatran worked on melting the ice to create a deep cavern in which to imprison the space Pokémon while the rest of Connor's team engaged in a battle that would one day become legend. They were able to weaken the creature enough for Articuno to encase it in ice, and with Connor believing it to be embedded so deeply that it would never be able to break free, he felt secure enough in the knowledge it was trapped for eternity that he returned to Fizzytopia with the lone survivor from the original research team - a young boy by the name of Charlie who, orphaned after the untimely demise of his parents, looked up to Connor as his mentor. Charlie eventually went to live with Connor, training under him and learning all that Connor had to offer. Connor was uncomfortable with his fame however, and treasuring his privacy, retreated from the world so that he could live out the remainder of his years in peace. Though Connor is now gone, Charlie ensures that his memory lives on, and hosts the annual Hero's Festival in honour of his beloved friend.

Today...

... is the eightieth anniversary of Connor's Legendary Battle, and the Hero's Festival is in full swing. Not a single trainer in the land is missing the opportunity to pay their respects to Connor's memory, each and every one of them diverting from their current paths to take part in the largest and most popular festival Seaside City has ever seen. Though an annual event, this year's Hero's Festival has drawn higher than record crowds, everyone gathering to celebrate the memory of the bravest trainer known in history; the man who risked his life to save Fizzytopia from total annihilation.

Pokémon Contests and Trainer Battles are underway, offering rare and valuable items as a reward to those who are skilled enough to win. Men, women, and children are enjoying the array of festivities on hand, eagerly taking part in as many events as they can. Games, rides, stalls, and street performances are attracting record crowds, but it's the midday parade followed by the Legendary Battle re-enactment that everyone is looking forward to. The voice of Charles Higginbotham, known more affectionately as "Charlie" by Fizzytopian residents, can be heard booming over the loudspeaker system, advertising the sale of raffle tickets that will be drawn in one hours' time. All proceeds of the raffle will be going to the Hero's Charity, an organisation founded by Connor with the money he was given for saving Fizzytopia. Devoted to caring for injured, abandoned, orphaned, and mistreated Pokémon, this charity is seen as yet another of Connor's great accomplishments.

Mayor Thompson's voice is the next to be heard over the loudspeaker. "Welcome one, welcome all!" he proclaims. "Thank you for coming today, as there is no greater time to celebrate and rejoice in our prosperous nation as there is on the eightieth anniversary of the day Connor fought for our lives and continued freedom! Please enjoy the festivities we have on offer, and the games and contests there are to play. Most importantly of all, the Hero's parade will begin at noon, and the Legendary Battle re-enactment a 2pm sharp! In the meantime, please rejoice and be merry!"

You have one week to sign up for this campaign. Signups involve nothing more than RPing your intro (using goldenrod, please), but if you haven't posted by the time the first update is up then you've lost your chance. Speed is essential here, as Fizzytopia will not be reopening until the conclusion of this campaign. Two updators have been designated in order to help it move along faster, but we can't move if you don't. Please be sure to reply as swiftly as possible as we don't want this campaign lasting for more than six to eight weeks in real time. If you wish to purchase one of the raffle tickets mentioned in this update you will need to post a link to your withdrawal of 1,000 coins from the Coin Exchange that can be RP'd into your introductory post so that you can be allocated a number in the next update. In the meantime, have fun and get a scratchin' that RPing itch!

Tyrant, with Phoenix on his shoulder, Pyro by his side, Mario and Luigi floating next to his head and Hippopotas in his Pokeball, decided that going to a fun festival would be..fun. Tyrant had finally made it to see all the stands and rides being brought in. "Ooh! Look at all those fun games!" Tyrant said. Pyro had his eye on a stuff Pokemon toy. "Oh, I see you like that Charmeleon stuffed toy, considering you are one," Tyrant told Pyro, "Wow there are so many people here."

He had come here for not only the games and rides, but he had heard a legend of a man named Connor 80 years ago, who had defeated an evil Pokemon and changed the course of Fizzytopia forever. There were contests and battles all around, a lot of hustling and bustling. He then saw the mayor making an announcement.

"Welcome one, welcome all!" he proclaims. "Thank you for coming today, as there is no greater time to celebrate and rejoice in our prosperous nation as there is on the eightieth anniversary of the day Connor fought for our lives and continued freedom! Please enjoy the festivities we have on offer, and the games and contests there are to play. Most importantly of all, the Hero's parade will begin at noon, and the Legendary Battle re-enactment a 2pm sharp! In the meantime, please rejoice and be merry!"

Tyrant looked down at Pyro. "Did you hear that?!" He said, "A re-enactment of the famous battle! We have to check it out!" So Tyrant, Pyro, and the rest of his Pokemon followed along the ecstatic trainer. "Oh, a raffle is also going on," Tyrant said, "These 1,000 coins should be enough for the ticket." He then ran to the spot of the re-enactment.

The streets were absolutely packed with Fizzytopians. People and Pokemon alike crowded the festival grounds, and the voice of mayor boomed over the loudspeaker. The games had begun, and everyone was having a good time. Even a particular masked trainer.

"Three...two...one...pin!" The referee shouted. Drifter had found his way over to the wrestling booth. The flyers had said nobody could beat their champion. Drifter told them he looked weak. It had taken longer than he expected, but he had proved his point.

Drifter smiled and pulled his cloak back on. "Good match" he said, offering his hand "You aren't too bad. It's been awhile since I've had a good match."

The champ returned the grin "Same here. I'm just surprised I lost."

The owner of the booth came into the ring with a small cage. "I believe our challenger has won this fabulous prize!" he announced, placing the cage in Drifter's hands. The trainer looked at it in shock. They had placed a Tailow in the cage, and it didn't look too happy about it.

***

Drifter waved as the little swallow pokemon flew off. As much as he would have like a Tailow on his team, he knew it wasn't the type who wanted to fight. 'Twas a pity. Speaking of Pokemon...

"C'mon out guys. We're taking a break today."

In a flash of light, 3 Pokemon appeared. One, a tall blue beetle. Two, a slug that looked like it was made of magma. And three, a blue angler-like creature with positive and negative signs for pupils. Blitz and Hephastus took a look around, and once judging that they had not yet entered battle, ran off to find a fun game to play. Ion the chinchou, on the other hand, clung close to Drifter like a barnacle.

"Aw, c'mon Ion" Drifter laughed "I'm sure we can find a game you'd like..." he turned to the others "Meet us back in the square at noon. I'm sure you'd all like to see the parade." He nodded to the angler pokemon on his shoulder, and they walked off to try the ring toss next...

"Wow..." Stephen says as he glances around at the festivities taking place. While he had certainly taken place in some small, local celebrations at his home in Mahogany Town, they could have been a six-year-old's birthday party and the comparison would be the same. It seems as though every single trainer in the lands of Fizzytopia has gathered here at Seaside City. Shops and stands seem to have sprung up out of nowhere on all sides in colorful roads reaching into the distance. Stephen begins to walk, taking in the sights around him.

Pulling out a Pokeball as he walks, Stephen calls out "No reason I should have the fun," as he drops it to the ground. The crimson and white ball opens in a flash of white light, which shapes itself into a glowing form of a small, doglike Pokemon. The light quickly fades away, revealing a small, black Pokemon, golden rings adorning the Umbreon's body. Barking happily to be free of its Pokeball, Umbreon looks around at the festival as well. Stephen begins to walk again, with Umbreon at his side.

Stephen then begins, "All this celebration is in the honor of some guy eighty years ago." Umbreon looks up attentatively, though Stephen has a creeping feeling that the dark type isn't really listening. Stephen continues nonetheless, saying, "There was this Pokemon, really evil. It seemed as though it was going to take over the entire land of Fizzytopia, and it killed everything that stood up to it. But then, there was this guy. He was really powerful, so powerful that he even could control legendary Pokemon. He defeated the Pokemon and locked it away in ice, never to be seen again."

Umbreon nods, barking again. Lost in thought about what sort of Pokemon the legendary Connor had defeated, Stephen just notices as Umbreon begins to run off to the right. Stephen follows, wondering what Umbreon possibly had seen. Finally catching up, Stephen stands at Umbreon's side, where a group of trainers had gathered in a ring around a Pokemon battle.

Watching the two Pokemon face off, Stephen's ears detect a loudspeaker telling of a raffle taking part in a few hours time. Pulling out a Coin Case, Stephen counts out 1,000 coins which he will use to buy a ticket. While he knows he has little, if any, chance of winning, Stephen figures that the cause is good and he has nothing better to do with them.

The Pokemon battle, meanwhile, has ended, the two trainers shaking hands at the center of the ring. The crowd dissipates, and Stephen turns to Umbreon, saying, "Well, let's find something to do."

Walking along the bustling streets of Seasidy City, Tess feels slightly uncomfortable in the midst of such a large crowd. She's never really been one for social gatherings, but this takes the cake. She doesn't dislike the festive mood, but will certainly feel less claustrophobic once she finds a less populated section of the city to relax in. Somehow she doesn't think this will happen, but considering the occasion it's a fact she's willing to push to the side for this one day. She's heard the stories about Connor and his defeat of the evil creature who had descended from the stars to wreak havoc upon not only Fizzytopia, but the world, and it's a tale that fascinates her. There are several questions in the back of her mind about certain events that occurred on that historic day eighty years ago, and she's hoping that Charlie, Connors only living friend as well as the only living witness to those events, may be able to answer them for her.

Briefly considering releasing Tempest to keep her company, Tess quickly dismisses the idea as she knows that her gorgeous Houndoom is even less fond of crowds than she is. Inchy comes to mind next, but the little Trapinch is more than likely to bite off someone's hand if they decide to give him a pat, and that's not something Tess is willing to allow happen, especially with so many children about. Lightly sweeping her fingers across the Pokéballs attached to her belt, Tess smiles when she finds just the right one. Unclipping the blue Pokéball with thunderbolt design, Tess triggers the Thunder Ball's release mechanism, watching while Perry appears before her.

The little squirrel looks around with wide eyes, amazed and excited by the sights before her. Besides a brief visit to Elyra, the only place Pachirisu had ever seen was the mysterious island of Excelsior. Perry has chosen not to wear her special spy outfit today, preferring to leave it for a time she finds it necessary to go undercover, and while Tess smiles adoringly at Pachirisu, the little squirrel looks up at her with questioning eyes.

"We're in Seaside City, Perry," Tess explains. "This is the annual Hero's Festival, and the residents of Fizzytopia are celebrating the memory of a special, and very powerful trainer who was involved in a great battle that was fought many years ago. A battle that saved the world from being taken over by an evil Pokémon who wanted to control all of Fizzy Bubbles."

Upon hearing this, Perry's little eyes grow as wide as saucers resulting in Tess finding it difficult to suppress an amused smile. She keeps a straight face, however, for she'd deliberately added a dramatic tone to her voice to make the story even more awesome in Perry's eyes. Thinking about it though, perhaps she wasn't being as overly dramatic as she'd thought, for if Connor had lost his battle eighty years ago, would there even be a Fizzytopia for them to travel in today? This train of thought reminds her of the questions she has for Connor's friend, Charlie, and at that very moment she hears the voice of the very man she is looking for booming over the PA system.

"Would you like to buy a raffle ticket, Perry?" Tess asks, giggling at Perry's delightedly eager nod in response to her question. "Ok then, let's go and get one shall we?" Removing her coin purse from her pocket, Tess removes 1,000 coins and walks over to the ticket booth with Perry following closely at her heels. Accepting the ticket in return for her coins, Tess doesn't even look at the number, instead handing it straight over to Perry who stares at it while clutching it protectively in her tiny paws. "Be careful with that," Tess smiles, completely besotted with her little teammate. "It may win you a very nice prize." Perry nods, clutching the ticket even tighter, and for the first time in several months Tess regrets not making the time to give all of her team, including Perry, the attention they deserve. Work, studies, chores that seemed important at the time but really aren't when looking at the bigger scheme, had taken over her life, and looking at the awestruck innocence in Perry's face right now makes Tess realise just how much she's been missing out on. Does it matter that the base is always clean? The beds always made? The dishes always done? Would it kill her to let the chores slip for a day while she spent some quality time with her team? Life is what matters, and from this moment on Tess resolves to ensure she makes time for each and every one of her teammates for they're more to her than just Pokémon. They're her family.

Suddenly Tess doesn't feel much like asking Charlie the questions that have been bothering her. The day is still young so there's plenty of time for that. Right now, Tess only wants to ensure that Perry experiences a day she'll never forget. Lifting Perry into her arms, Tess gives her a gentle cuddle, stroking the fur on Pachirisu's head and giving her a light kiss on the cheek. "You and I are going to have ourselves some fun, Perry. You lead the way, and show me what interests you. Whatever you want to do, we'll do together."

"The Hero's Festival is in honor of a great man who had defeated a terrible evil that threatened thousands of lives here in Fizzytopia," Kami informed her Castform, Kumori, as they walked down the road to Seaside City. "This guy risked his own life in battle to protect others, and so they commemorate him with this festival, and the proceeds help Pokémon. The man, Connor something-or-other, even gave the money he was given for saving Fizzytopia to start this charity. What a guy!" Kumori looking awe-filled as Kami spoke.

"There it is! I see the festival!" Kami shouted excitedly to her Castform, Kumori. The two ran forward into the crowd of other people there for the Hero's Festival. Over the PA, someone was advertising raffle tickets. "Hmm... Should we get a ticket, Kumori?" Kami asked her Pokémon.

"Cas!" the Weather Pokémon chirped happily.

"Okay then!" Kami reached into her purse and pulled out 1,000 coins. "I'd like one ticket, please," she said handing the money over in exchange for a raffle ticket. Kami stuck the ticket in her purse, and turned towards Kumori. "Now we can go play games!" she shouted enthusiastically causing Kumori's eys to light up.

Stark stepped off the Ferry with his hands placed in the pockets of his long red coat. The gentle ocean breeze of Seaside City whipped his long blond hair away from his face, allowing him the opportunity to just enjoy the weather for a minute. He had never been to Fizzytopia, but figured now was as good of time as any. Surprisingly enough, he happened to arrive during a festival of some kind. A smile crossed his face as he began walking the streets, stopping occasionally to look at some of the goods various vendors had on hand or to watch some of the street performances that had happened to catch his eye. All things considered, he couldn't have picked a more enjoyable time to visit.

Eventually, he learned that today the citizens of Fizzytopia were celebrating their hero. A man by the name of Conner, who many years ago defeated a dangerous and powerful pokémon among other achievements. Stark had to wonder what it would had been like to meet such a legend. His own experiences with strong trainers led him to believe that this Conner must have been truly special to receive such high regard.

Soon his thoughts were interrupted by a voice coming over some loud speakers. Apparently there was to be a raffle in an hour. For a moment Stark thought about finding a trainer to battle like so many others had done, but he had always had pretty good luck when it came to raffles. After all, his first raffle got him a seat on the SS Tidal. Plus all of the money went to a good cause. He could always find a battle later. Maybe after the parade or something, he figured.

Working his way down the street he eventually found the place selling the tickets. Quietly he took 1,000 coins from his red Valentine coin case and exchanged them for a ticket which he placed in the coin case for safe keeping. With a slight half smile on his face he headed off to find a good spot to watch the upcoming parade from.

*CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG* the noise reverberated through Zora's skull as he made his way through the rows of stalls, Forretress bounding along behind him, still somewhat wobbly, unused to her new body following her recent evolution. "I really should have had you learn Magnet Rise first." he said, watching her stumble as she tried to follow him through a ninety degree corner. Toppling forwards, Forretress quickly maneuvered her turrets to stabilise herself, digging into the ground in front of her as she came to a halt... upside down. Holding back a chuckle, Zora knelt down besides his companion to roll her the right way up.
"Forre" came a disgruntled noise from within her shell, as she was righted.
"I think you should probably try something else Forretress." Zora told her, still kneeling down face to face. "You're even heavier than Tropius now, so there's no chance of me carrying you. Do you want to go and grab a bite to eat or something?"
"Tress" she said in acknowledgement.
"Okey doke then. You do that. We can meet up later for the parade. Try not to get yourself in too much trouble, that's my job. Apparantly people round here think it's 'inappropriate' to go on about how you've saved the world far more times than Conner." he said, rolling his eyes and patting the top of Forretress' shell, waving to her as she with some difficulty turned around and hopped off in the direction of the food stands, Zora wincing as the clanging of her steel shell against the ground rang out again.

"I don't want to get too lonely out here." Zora said to noone in paticular as he stood up again. Unclipping a Pokéball from his belt, he tapped the release button, a tiny surge of red light being wrapped in blue as another of his Pokémon took shape. "You may not be the most talkative companion, but you're certainly the most mobile." he told his Rotom as it hovered in front of him, humming ever so softly, its expression as blank as ever. "Come on!" he said, continuing along between the many stalls of the festival until he reached one that was paticularly crowded. "Seems like everyone's after a ticket." he said. "Well, why wouldn't they? One thousand coins is hardly an significant fraction of my total wealth, even after I splashed out on you." Pulling the coins out of his pocket as he spoke, the queue moved on, Zora coming to face the attendee. "I'd like to purchase a ticket for the raffle please." he said with an uncommon politeness, handing over his money for the draw and taking his ticket. "Thank you" he said, walking away again. "Do you want to hold this?" he asked Rotom, prodding it with the ticket slightly, watching with great curiosity as the piece of paper sunk slightly into Rotom's semi-corpereal form like some kind of strange superviscous fluid. "You know, I am going to make you speak one day." he said, sternly. "Don't try to hide it. I know you've got a lot of stuff going on in that tiny little brain of yours." Rotom's expression remained blank, but Zora swore that the frequency of Rotom's hum changed slightly in response to his comment. Ignoring his companion, knowing that he could be equally stubborn when he wanted to, Zora headed off in the direction of the rides, his inner child demanding a go on the tea-cups.

Ricco had read the legend of Connor and his brave acts. He had admired him ever since he was a little boy and he would do anything to be as strong as he was. His first journey through the Arcane Realm was the start of it. Now that he had the rights to all the main zones, he was one step closer to achieving his dream and becoming a powerful trainer like Connor.

The Hero's Festival was planned since forever, and he'd be a disgrace to miss it. Kain, his trusty Mawile, skips happily, humming a nice tune by his trainer's side as they walk through Seaside City. He had high hopes for watching the legend reenactment, something he was dying to see the whole day. The thought of him waiting pretty much killed him.

"Man, when is it going to be two O' clock already?!" Ricco said, impatiently. "I'm dying to see that legend battle!"

Kain didn't pay much attention to his outburst, not to mention that his whining won't get him anywhere. He sees the Ticket Booth that was giving away a raffle for poor innocent and hurt Pokemon or something to that effect and decides to enter the raffle. He walks up to the ticket booth and hands him 1000 coins to use to buy one ticket. The man hands him the ticket as he runs off to look for the Legend Battle location.

"All right, Kain," Ricco said, running around, looking for the location of his chosen attraction. "You may or may not battle, so just be prepared if you do. I don't know if they'll let us, but we can't bring our hopes up."

"Mawile," his trusty partner said.

"Okay, just in case, let's show them who the real hero is, Kain!"

They eventually find the area where the battle was taking place and prepares to expect the best.

"Eighty years ago today." A lone trainer stood against a wall, watching the commotion with his own two eyes. "Eighty years ago today, Connor defeated the mysterious beast and sealed it away. Connor, a trainer capable of wielding the legendary beast of thunder."

Joshua's mind strayed for a moment, staring down at his current companion, Roxas the Luxray staring up at him in interest. Kneeling down to Roxas, Joshua continued. "Little is known about this trainer, or the beast he fought against, but if the rumours are true, Connor had the power to tame three beasts of legend. Articuno, the bird of ice, Heatran, some freaky thing of heat, and Raikou..." Joshua trailed off, images of the sacred thunder beast rushing to mind.

Joshua's hand reached out, absent-mindedly stroking Roxas' head. "You, my little Roxas, are all the thunder beast I need. So c'mon, let's go see if there's anything here of interest." Overhearing a loudspeaker comment about a raffle, Joshua shrugged, and reached for his Coin Case, counting out 1,000 coins to use to purchase a ticket.

Jeff, after ages of being a lazy arse, finally decides to come back to the land of Fizzy Bubbles. Stretching, the teen brushes away what seems to be loose piece of string before standing up and facing the town before him. "Aaaah. Fizzytopia." He mumbled. "Bloody hell, it's been awhile since I've been here. I remember the first time, so long ago. Found my way into the Haunted Fairground that used to be around here somewhere, fought a Gengar...old times, old times." Glancing around, Jeff wondered why there were a ton of posters and stuff everywhere advertising some festival or something.

Walking forward, he actually began to read the signs, and discovered it was a celebration of some mythical, super-strong trainer capable of capturing even the Legendary Pokemon. Stretching again, slightly amused at the turn of events, Jeff continued on reading about how this "Connor" person, about how eh was a really cool guy and wasn't afraid of anything, not even the unknown. "Well, that kind of sounds like every adventure I, and every other trainer I know, has been on." He said, frowning.

Continuing to read, Jeff saw that Connor had fought an extremely mysterious and dangerous Pokemon, sealing it far beneath the surface encased in ice, and how this day, eighty years later, was a celebration of his triumph. "How about that. The day I choose to stop mucking around in Mauville is the day of a special event. I love my luck."

Walking away from all the signs and storyboards, Jeff moved towards all the booths set up, each having something unique and different to spice it all up. Noticing some sort of Raffle booth, Jeff walked forward, and listened to the man talk about the raffle that would occur in an hour's time. "Sure. I'll press my luck with this." Jeff said, handing over 1,000 coins to the man and accepting the ticket.

"Now, let's see what entertainment will be going on today." The teen checked one of the various boards proclaiming the different activities going on. "Hmm. Seems like there's a re-enactment of Connor's famous battle. That should be interesting. So, I guess I'll go watch that and then go from there."

Setting off for the stage, Jeff moved the bag he was currently carrying on his shoulder to his other one, eyes peering around at all the strange sights along the way.

Mostly up-to-date new and improved PASBL League Table. Re-uploaded every Sunday with updated stats.

"Wow. Look at all of the fun, Houndour!" Inferno says, looking at all of the attractions available at the Hero's Festival. "Aren't you happy we came?" he asks. Houndour barks, excited, and runs over to watch a contest. Inferno sighs because he was hoping Houndour would have liked to see a trainer battle, but she's more interested in contests. He stands next to her for a little while, watching the contest too, and thinks he might enter her into one one day. He knows she'll like that, and there will be some battling in it for her. Maybe he should stop thinking about what he wants her to do, and let her make her own choices. If contests are what she likes then he'll help her to train for one.

"Do you know this festival is being held to remember a great trainer who battled an evil Pokemon to save Fizzytopia from being taken over and maybe even destroyed?" Inferno asks Houndour, hoping the knowledge might make her more interested in battles. Houndour shakes her head but isn't interested in why there is a festival. She's only happy to be here. "It's cool, isn't it?" he laughs. He wants to be as strong as Connor one day and have a team as brave as his. His team is brave, and most of them are very strong after all of the training they've had and the adventures they've been on. They even battled an Icy Rayquaza once. That was awesome and Inferno hopes he has a chance to do something like that again one day.

Inferno hears the announcement about raffle tickets, and even though he knows he can afford to buy one he doesn't want to spend his money. He's saving for something special, and when he has enough coins he wants to splurge and get everything in one go. The charity is for a good cause, and the tickets are only 1,000 coins, so he decides to get one anyway. Maybe if he can sell the prize it will help him to save up faster. He goes to the ticket booth and pays for a ticket, shoving it into his pocket until later.

"Come on, Houndour. Let's see what else we can do. There might be a game we can play or a ride we can go on." Houndour looks back at the contest and Inferno can see she wants to finish watching it first. "Ok." he says, "We'll look around after the contest is finished." Houndour barks happily and sits down to watch the contest again, and Inferno can see how excited she is. He shakes his head and smiles, thinking about how cute she is. Sitting down next to her, he pats her head while they watch the contest together.

"Isn't this wonderful, Togepi?" Dani asks the egg Pokemon she's holding in her arms. "Priii! Priii!" Togepi agrees happily. Dani squeezes him tighter. He's so cute, and she's glad she brought him to the Hero's Festival with her today. She would have liked to bring all of her Pokemon, but was afraid she might overcrowd the streets. Instead she takes two Pokeballs out of her pocket and releases Ivy and Glacia. Togepi squeals with delight when he sees Glaceon and Leafeon appear and Dani laughs, happy knowing that her team get along so well. Ivy and Glacia are her newest Eevee evolutions, and the day that Dani battled with them at Moss Rock and Ice Rock was one of the happiest days she's had as a trainer because when they evolved they completed her five year long quest to complete the whole set. They look around, awed, because they've never seen so many people before.

"This is a festival," Dani explains to her Pokemon. "It's being held in honour of a man called Connor who battled a really evil Pokemon. It killed everyone who tried to stop it, except for Connor. He was so strong that he could even control legendary Pokemon. Isn't that amazing?" Togepi, Ivy, and Glacia nod, amazed by how powerful Connor must have been to control Pokemon that powerful. "Connor defeated the evil Pokemon and froze it in the ice in the Glacier Islands, and it's never been seen again." Dani's Pokemon look at each other, worried. "Aw, don't worry," Dani says, kneeling down and giving them all a cuddle. "It'll never escape. Connor wouldn't have left it there if he thought that could happen. It's been eighty years, and today we're at a festival with games, and rides, and contests, so let's have some fun!"

Dani is looking forward to watching the parade, and then the Legendary Battle reenactment. She can't wait, but there's lots to see before they start. She walks with her Pokemon, stopping to watch trainer battles and contests. There are rides and games too, and she wanders around looking for something they can all do together. "It looks like there are raffle tickets on sale," she says when she finds the ticket booth. She loves raffles, and she has nothing better to spend her money on, so she hands over the one thousand coins she needs to pay and gives the ticket to Togepi. "Don't drop it or we might miss out on a free flight to Cascadia," she laughs, patting Togepi's head.

"I don't feel like battling today, so let's find a game to play," Dani says, walking through the colourfully decorated streets to find something they can all enjoy.

The day is bright, a fitting beginning for such an event. Alto is seen on this day walking to the Hero's Festival, no pokemon out, due to the crowded streets. "Heh, looks like there's been quite the turnout in people here, I guess..." he states quietly to himself. Looking around, he sees a few notable people walking around, one with a Dusknoir, another with a Luxray, and many others whom also had their partners out.

After a minute of looking, the thought of Connor popped up in his head again. Alto spent some time reading about him, and always pondered about the type of person he actually was, and how strong he had to be. These thoughts were inturrepted when an announcement is made about selling raffle tickets.

Though Alto had been saving for a while, he thought to himself, 'Oh, why the hell not. Nothing better to spend it on at the moment.' He walks up to the ticket booth and pays up his 1,000 coins. "Well, lets just hope we have a good time", he says to himself, before walking off again.

A sleeping baby penguin held in the speaker’s arms gradually opened her eyes and peered blearily up at the sky, discerning her trainer’s cheerful countenance slowly emerging into view. She giggled and reached towards the smiling face, and the girl responded by playfully tickling the Pokémon’s feet. As sleep departed from the infant’s eyes, she became aware of many strange, unfamiliar sounds and sensed activity surrounding her. A peculiar sweet smell filled the air which stimulated a hungry sensation in her stomach, yet at the same time somehow satisfied her appetite. She gazed about inquisitively at her surroundings, her interest piqued by the curious noises and smells. A vibrant scene filled with people and Pokémon greeted her wondering eyes, and she watched in fascination as they moved between the stands, talking and laughing spiritedly. The rows of brightly colored stalls and the extravagant costumes of the street performers amazed and delighted her, and she tugged excitedly on the girl’s sleeve, begging to know what these novel attractions stood for.

“This is the Hero’s Festival,” Jess answered informatively, smiling at her Piplup’s inquisitiveness. “It’s meant to honor a hero who saved Fizzytopia eighty years ago from a Pokémon from outer space. He defeated the space Pokémon and trapped it in ice so that it couldn’t harm anyone, and so every year there’s a celebration to remember him. They have lots of games and fun activities, and later there’s even going to be a big parade followed by a re-enactment of the Hero’s Legendary Battle.”

Pippa’s eyes were wide as the girl spoke, and she tugged hopefully again at her sleeve, pointing towards the fair. Now that she understood what it was, she was eager to join in the festivities. Jessica laughed and nodded. “Of course we’re going to go in. That’s why we’re here. Right, Zuzu?”

She turned to her left, where there stood a rabbit-like Pokémon who had so far been quiet since they’d arrived. His long ears perked up at the sound of his new nickname being called, and he glanced up at the girl, slightly confused. “Zu?”

“Do you want to join the festival?” she repeated with a little less certainty. Although Atzu had been on her team for a while now, she was aware that they unfortunately hadn’t been able to spend much time together. She hoped that this outing would provide a chance to improve their relationship, so she waited anxiously for a positive response from him.

As the group entered the fairground, Mayor Thompson’s voice boomed heartily out over the loudspeaker: "Welcome one, welcome all! Thank you for coming today, as there is no greater time to celebrate and rejoice in our prosperous nation as there is on the eightieth anniversary of the day Connor fought for our lives and continued freedom! Please enjoy the festivities we have on offer, and the games and contests there are to play. Most importantly of all, the Hero's parade will begin at noon, and the Legendary Battle re-enactment a 2pm sharp! In the meantime, please rejoice and be merry!"

“We have time until the parade, so what do you guys want to do? There’s lots of stuff to choose from.”

At first Pippa and Atzu seemed too overwhelmed to decide where they should go, but eventually an individual booth caught Pippa’s attention, and she tugged at Jess’s sleeve and pointed at it excitedly. Jessica followed her Pokémon’s line of sight and perceived that she was indicating towards a stand which sold raffle tickets for 1,000 coins each, a sum she could easily afford. From the announcements Jess also gathered that the proceeds would be donated to the Hero's Charity, an organization founded by Connor with the money he was awarded for saving Fizzytopia.

“Did you want to buy a raffle ticket, sweetie?” she asked. Pippa nodded. “Okay then.” She walked over to the booth and set the penguin down briefly on the counter as she took out her Spoink Piggy Bank from her bag, ignoring the odd looks she received from other people with regular coin cases. She then counted out 1,000 coins and handed them over to the seller, who handed her a raffle ticket in return. She then gave the ticket to Pip, telling her to hold on to it tightly.

“In an hour they’re going to announce the winners. If the number they call matches the one on the ticket, then that means you’ve won, and if you show them the ticket, they’ll give you a prize. You might win something really nice, so make sure you don’t lose it.”

Hearing this, Pip clutched the piece of paper close to her, determined not to lose it. Jess smiled, and turned to Atzu. “Would you like to buy a ticket?” He shook his head, and instead pointed towards an ice cream stand, gazing hopefully up at his trainer with adorable eyes. She laughed. “Okay, let’s get some ice cream. Then afterwards why don’t we play some games? How’s that sound?”

Both Pippa and Atzu agreed to this, and as soon as the three of them had received their cones (Jess ordered Vanilla, while Atzu and Pippa wanted Chocolate and Strawberry respectively), they set off to explore the fair in search of a game to play until noon, when the parade was scheduled to begin.

Kim walks through the sea of people gathered in Seaside City for the annual Hero's Festival, enjoying the festive atmosphere. She'd finally taken the plunge and retired from her life as a Pokemon trainer a couple of weeks ago, but the lure of the festival has perked her interest. She loves the exuberant activity of events like these and has been looking forward to it for a while, so after making a brief detour past her cousin's base to pick up her laptop and six of her Pokeballs, Kim has returned to Fizzytopia. Being semi retired doesn't mean she can't enjoy spending time with her Pokemon every now and then even though they're now under her cousin's care, so she clutches two of the Pokeballs she'd picked up earlier and releases the Pokemon inside.

"Surprise!" she cries, embracing Absol and Gible who she'd said goodbye to only two weeks ago. "I couldn't come to an event like this without sharing it with two of my favourite boys." After a happy reunion, Kim explains the history behind the festival. "All of this is to honor the memory of a brave and powerful man who saved Fizzytopia eighty years ago from an evil space Pokemon who wanted to control the world. It killed everyone who stood up to it, but it couldn't defeat Connor. He defeated the space Pokemon, trapping it deep within the ice somewhere in the Glacier Islands so that it could never hurt anyone again. Every year since then the mayor of Fizzytopia holds a celebration in honour of Connor's memory, because if it weren't for him we wouldn't be here now. There are lots of fun things for us to do. Games to play, rides to enjoy, contests and trainer battles to take part in, even a parade to watch, and a re-enactment of Connor's Legendary Battle later today."

Both Pokemon are impressed with the story, especially Gible who is still staring at Kim waiting for her to tell him more. She picks him up, enjoying his young innocence, and smiles. "One day you're going to be as big and strong as Connor's Pokemon, but today we're here to have fun so let's find something to do." Walking through the streets, Kim hears the raffle ticket announcement and, feeling the money is for a good cause, approaches the ticket booth to purchase one. Paying her 1,000 coins, she hands the ticket to Gible. "If the number on this ticket matches the one that is drawn we'll win a prize, so make sure you don't lose it." Gible nods and gives her a big toothy smile. "Good boy," Kim smiles, placing him on the ground. "Would you two like to play some games until the parade begins?" she asks, laughing at their eager response. "There's plenty available, so it shouldn't be too hard to find something fun," she says, setting off into the brightly decorated streets.

The Houndour weaved its way through the throng of people, nipping at heels and generally being a nuisance. Its owner, an ashen-faced youth, was calling out after it.

"Helen! I swear I will throw you off a bridge if you don't come back!"

J. pushed through the crowd, apologising profusely to everyone who turned around. He was hot, sweaty and deeply embarrassed. It seemed as though the entire street was watching him struggle to keep his Pokemon under control. He saw the wolf-like creature run up to a street performer who was singing a love ballad with her Delibird. J. went white. -She wouldn't. She's too well trained.- he thought. Helen wagged her tail and sat up on her hind legs. -Well, just in case...-

"Oh Lord... Helen! Stop!"

The boy pushed harder than ever, but the teeming mass of people in the square allowed only enough room between them for J. to see his Pokemon leap onto the Delibird and start sniffing all over its body. J. nearly fainted, and obeyed his first instinct. Reaching for the empty capsule at his belt, he called for the Houndour to return.

-She's not going to speak to me for the rest of the festival...- J. shook his head in annoyance. It didn't matter if Helen was angry with him for forcing her into the Pokeball. Her list of pet hates (of which being told what to do was top) was not the reason they had come to the Seaside City. J. looked around at all of the people having fun, and thought, -Yeah... this is what it's all about. Celebrating Fizzytopia's hero.-

J. heard the Mayor making an announcement about the parade. He couldn't wait for it to begin. J. went to a stall to look for some sushi, and then settled down and watched the festivities.

Bright lights, wondrous sounds, sumptuous smells and jovial activity; it was as if the world had truly come alive on this day. Stacey’s senses were filled to the brim with the life and she smiled feeling a warm happiness spread through her. She had left the gloomy part of Seaside City for the town centre and it seemed as if everyone else had done the same. The news travelled fast of a Festival, the Festivals of all Festivals to celebrate a hero of this land. Not one to resist a little fun Stacey had followed the light and sounds to find herself here just outside looking in.

Sat on a small bench off to one side she swung her legs two and fro happily enjoying the ambience but wanting to keep away from the large mass of people before her, for fear of being engulfed. She enjoyed just observing those around her, not one to jump right in and socialise she’d rather view it from afar. She had not heard the legend of Conner and his victorious battle eighty years ago until this day, she supposed it was because she was so wrapped up in her training, but now she was keen to learn more. She wondered what kind of pokemon could cause such havoc and destruction, there were a few she could name but none seemed that destructive.

Stacey was pulled out of her thoughts by the sounds of two trainers battling off to her left. She smiled as she watched their powerful pokemon display their attacks with pride leaving only one victor. Stacey realised that she should share this experience with one of her pokemon, sitting here alone whilst everyone else was having fun was suddenly starting to dampen her mood. She toyed with the pokeballs at her waist, wondering which of her pokemon to bring out. It dawned on her that she quite a few pokemon on her team now, and as such was she was finding it hard to interact with them all equally. It was a shame, she only hoped they were all happy in some way.

She looked down to two specific pokeballs, one was an ordinary red and white pokeball, the other a green and black Dusk Ball. These contained two of her newest pokemon, both of which she had yet to introduce herself too. She bit her lip feeling the guilt ride over her, she had obtained them both a while back, she should include at least of them in some fun. Choosing the red and white pokeball she ran her fingers over the release mechanism and watched as in a flash of light its occupant materialised before her. The red and blue creature hovered in front of her, small blue sparks cascading off its form falling harmlessly to the ground. Its white and blue eyes locked onto her dark blue ones and it smiled, seemingly happy to be out. It gave a short cry of “Rotom” before spinning around letting the sparks fly some landing on Stacey making her skin tingle. She looked on in interest at its reaction to being released. It finished looking quite pleased with itself. Stacey giggled, Rotom was still young so that must a little game it had been longing to play.

“Hi … Rapture” she said and the Rotom seemed to ponder the foreign word. “It’s your nickname something to set you aside from all the other Rotom. Like mine is Stacey, I’m your trainer and partner … do you like the name?” she asked nervously. She had thought long and hard about a name for Rotom before finally settling on the unique ‘Rapture’. It cried out and nodded sending happy blue sparks flying everywhere. “We’ll have to learn to control your electricity, you’ll have everyone’s hair standing on end” she said laughing as she smoothed down her own brown and black locks.

Pushing herself to standing she stood next to Rotom. “We’re at the Hero’s Festival, you may not know what a festival is but it includes fun games, pokemon battles, yummy food, stalls with all sort of interesting items, a parade and even a re-enactment of a powerful battle long ago” she said a smile returning to her lips as she saw Rapture’s eyes get large at the sound of it. “So, you want to come with me?” she asked and it cried out before rushing her and passing right through her not realising in its plasma like state it would do that. Stacey smoothed down her hair again and shook a few sparks of pain that shot down her arms and legs, ‘So that what it feels like to be electrocuted’ she thought grimacing, she would have to get used to it now she had an electric pokemon on her team she supposed. Rapture looked at with horror and appologies profusely becoming quite upset.

“Don’t worry Rapture, accidents happen. You’re a ghost so you can pass through people and walls and alike, that I’m used to; but you still have that electricity running through you,” she said trying to comfort it. “We’re still gonna have some fun hon, so perk up, for me?” she said getting close to Rapture sticking her tongue out and making it laugh sparking some more. “Oh I nearly forgot,” she said as she pulled a small Magnet out of her satchel before carefully placing it on Rapture where it wouldn’t fall off it. “There that’ll give your electric attacks some real oomph, I better watch out” she said grinning cheekily and Rapture mirrored her expression.

The two of them looked up as they heard a voice booming of the PA system telling all the visitors about a Raffle for charity. Rapture looked at Stacey longingly and Stacey laughed. “Come on, lets get you a ticket then.” Moving their way through the masses of people Stacey kept her eye on Rapture as it floated high above them trying not to shock anyone else as they searched for the appropriate booth. She was glad that she had stopped off to withdraw a large sum of coins guessing that they would come in useful here. Find the right booth she asked for one ticket handing over 1,000 coins from her coin case and showed the ticket to Rapture. “I’ll keep it in my bag for safe keeping eh” she said.

“What shall we do first then?” Stacey asked Rapture who was looking keenly over at some of the games taking place. “Okay then” she said seeing the decision made in Rapture’s eyes, “We’ll look at what games they have to offer.” The two of them walked through the crowds keeping their eyes peeled for a fun game to play.

Catherine slowly walked through the streets staring at the many attractions set up. People walked around in enjoyment celebrating an event from the past, an event that none of them could ever dream of. To face such a creature was beyond Catherine’s imagination it reminded her of the battle against Rayquaza a while back. She flinched as she remembered the troubles the trainers had to go through against it, it was not an overly pleasing memory.

“Ri, ri,” a small voice spoke up drawing Catherine away from her thoughts. She looked down and smiled at the small creature that stood beside her. Its red eyes stared at her with slight concern as he stared up at it trainer. He then turned his head away and patiently started to look at the booths around him.

“Your right Riolu, sorry for ignoring you,” Catherine told her pokemon with a slight chuckle. “Let’s just go on and enjoy this event because before we know it, it will be over,” she added before starting to walk over to one of the booths. She stopped when she noticed her pokemon was not fallowing her but looking at something in the distance.

“Riolu what is,” she asked unsure of what her pokemon was thinking. Riolu did not reply with words but raised his arm and pointed at a fluffy brown creature running back and forth in the streets. Catherine let out a small gasp once she realized that it was her Eevee who had decided to run off and have its own fun. Immediately she took off after it with Riolu right behind her.

Eventually she caught up to the pokemon who had stopped to look at some of the food booths. Her eyes were wide and her tail twitched with excitement. As soon as she noticed her trainer standing near her she ran up to her while letting out some excited yaps. The young pokemon was completely enjoying the experience and trying to see a much as it could of the fair.

“Eevee,” Catherine mumbled as she stared down at her pokemon. It was an energetic little creature and this trait had gotten it in some trouble before. Sometimes she wished it could be more like Riolu and be patient and calm but not every pokemon was the same. “Please don’t run off like that your going to get into trouble if you do it again,” she told Eevee while trying to pick the right words for the situation.

“Eee, ee, ve?” the pokemon asked while it tilted its head and put on a confused look. Catherine giggled quietly realizing that the pokemon was trying to get out of the situation by acting clueless, she had been a trainer long enough to see through that act.

“Faker,” she mumbled as she picked up the fluff ball into her arms. “You’re going to stay out of trouble here,” she told it with a smile on her face. Eevee nodded its little head in reply pleased with the attention it was receiving. Catherine knew that that was what it was after since the beginning.

They then continued to wander down the streets stopping here and there to check out the many attractions available to view. They were all lost in this world until a loud announcement rung through the air. Catherine immediately stopped taking interest in what was being said. After learning about the raffle she decided to get a ticket since she had the coins to spend and it happened to go towards a good cause. She then started to walk over to the nearest ticket booth.

“One raffle ticket please,” she announced as she arrived at the booth. She then hand over the 1,000 coins and took the ticket in return of them.

“Ready for some more fun,” she happily declared to her pokemon. Eevee yapped with excitement while Riolu replied with a simple smile. A smile appeared on Catherine’s face because she was pleased to be spending the day with her pokemon and she knew that there was more fun waiting for them as the day went on.

“Eevee,” Eevee shouted causing her trainer to giggle at the small pokemon’s enthusiasm. It then leaped out of her arms and looked back at her with its eyes big with excitement. She wanted to runoff and see everything but she remembered her trainer’s earlier statement and wanted to obey it.

“Can’t argue with that, you can go exploring Eevee just make sure I am nearby” she told her fluff ball with a smile. Her Eevee nodded in reply and quickly started to make its way through the street with Catherine and Riolu right behind her. It were days like these that made Catherine very happy to be a pokemon trainer.

Feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of the Hero's Festival, Katsu had settled onto a bench away from the crowds for the time being. At his side sat his Electrike, Kiba, who was waiting patiently while his trainer gathered his thoughts.

"I simply can't decide on what to do first, Kiba. Perhaps you'd like to?", Katsu questioned to his companion, who responded with a quick nod of his head. The canine then took a moment to sniff the air, before thrusting one of his paws in the direction of what Katsu presumed to be the food stands.

"Hehe. I had a feeling that's what you'd be interested in. I suppose it's not a bad idea, though. Festivals like this usually have all sorts of treats you probably wouldn't find elsewhere."

Having come to a decision, Katsu rose, and followed Kiba, who had already started running in the direction he had pointed out. It was only a moment later that a message over the loudspeaker regarding the sale of raffle tickets brought the two to a sudden stop.

"Hmm... Maybe we should go get one of those tickets first. We might win a nice prize, and even if we don't, we'll still be donating to that charity for troubled Pokemon. What do you say to that?"

Kiba barked enthusiastically to express his approval, then hastily returned to his trainer's side.

"Okay! The ticket stand should be...that way!", said Katsu, as he pointed in the direction of their new destination. Before proceeding, he took out the 1,000 coins he'd need to make the purchase.

"I'm a Cowboy, on steel Tauros I ride, and I'm wanted.....(wanted)....

......DEAD OR ALIIIIIIVVVE!!!!"

Knocking his heals gently on Tauros's sides the bull Pokemon stomps to halt, his trainers voice echoing around him as he signs his heart out, giving a little grunt the bull rocks his head up and down, noticing Bullseye he smiles a big smile as he looks forward, the tents, the people and street acts bustling throughout seaside city, the smiles on kids faces as they see everything for the first time makes him look around and notice that they don't call this the best damned festival in FB for nothing, huge areas for everything litter every single inch of the streets, he couldn't wait for this, this was gonna rock, handing Bullseye a treat he hops off and takes a red and black Pokeball from his pocket and enlarges it, "Sorry Bully, it's a bit crowded in here at the minute, I promise I'll give you some freedom later on when it's quietened down a tad, then we can rock some more, whatcha say?"

Giving off a agreeable grunt he smiles and pats the side of Bullseye's belly before returning him to the Rocket Ball he resides in, popping it back into his pocket, he fumbles around in there before pulling out a new ball, this time a Green tinted Pokeball, a leaf engraved on the front of it, enlarging it in his hands he releases the ball and out of it emerges a fresh face and a Big "CHIIICK" as Emmy hops up and down on the ground, glad to be released from her ball, "Hey Emmy, I'm sorry, you haven't had much out time have you girl?" Crossing his arms he motions for Emmy to jump up as she agreeabley does, "we need to keep you safe, as you can see it's kinda busy I don't want to lose you, so what do you think, your first time out for a while and your at this festival, it's called the Heroes festival, for this trainer who saved the people of Fizzytopia a long time ago before we were even born, and he managed to defeat a monster Pokemon, something that no one has ever seen before, but he managed to defeat it, you think I could take him on if he was still alive?"

Laughing a little after the comment he looks down at Emmy who giggles and nods her head excitedly as she continues looking around the area at everything she can look at she does, "How about we go in further to this place hmm?, I think I heard something about a lottery ticket or something, I just hope i've got enough cash to buy one," Rustling with one hand in his pocket his hand hits a metallic feeling object, sliding it out into his hands he notices his good old Pokedex, the faded red resembling that it's been in his possession a long time, he looks up and notices other trainers, a girl with a lively Pacharisu, and young boy and girl, fire Pokemon and a egg looking Pokemon respectively, and many more trainers with these new looking dexes, "Pffft" a little chicky pfft follows "these new Pokedexes, can't go wrong with a classic, right Emmy?" "Chiick" "Thats right, now lets see how much cash i've got, "Looking through the many options of the dex he lands on the exchange option and clicking it for his balance he smiles as he notices a nice hefty amount, "i've got plenty, goody good, now lets withdraw 1,000 coins for our ticket and lets hope we get lucky, after that hows about we get some food Emmy? i'm starving after that trip.

"Wow, the Hero's Festival. This was my favorite bedtime story when I was little," said Beta, smiling faintly. He glanced around and realized he was talking to himself. "I really ought to stop doing that. Let's give me someone to talk to." He fingered the pokeballs on his belt, before deciding on the newest addition to his team. "Odie, you're up!" A bright flash brought out his newest team member, Odysseus. The Heracross flexed his newborn muscles, and let out a small flexing noise, not unlike a beach bodybuilder. Beta smiled.

"Listen, Odie. You've got to behave yourself. This is a very prestegious festival. There are a lot of people here. So stick close, alright?" The Heracross nodded. "How would you like to find a strength game?" asked Beta. "HERA-HERACROSS!" "I'll take that as a yes." A voice over the loudspeaker said something about a lottery.

"Oops! Sorry, Odie, but that'll have to wait. I better buy a lottery ticket first. Maybe we'll win something for you!" The Heracross's eyes shined with bright apprehension as Beta walked over to the lottery counter. "I'd like a ticket, please," said Beta as he handed over 1,000 coins. He picked up his ticket, and put it in his pocket for safekeeping. "Now, let's go find some games!" "HERA!"

Last edited by Betagold; 1st June 2008 at 3:43 PM.
Reason: Inserting link (BMGf's back up)

The Festival was in full swing and Seaside City was full to the brim with tourists, trainers and local workers all enjoying the sights, sounds and entertainment provided. Most of you had chosen to partake in the Raffle and made you way over to the Hero’s Charity Booth. Inside stood an elderly man with a small white bushy beard and dressed in a brown suit. He smiled at each and every one of you as you handed over your coins, thanking you for your generosity and handing you a raffle ticket, each with a unique number in red on the left hand corner. He wished you all the best of luck smiling graciously.

With the announcement that the Hero’s Parade will take place at noon and the main event, the Legendary Battle re-enactment taking place at 2pm you all had some time to kill. The organisers of the festival sure had prepared for this though as each and every street was full of different activities to enjoy. Several stalls were set up selling various commemorative items to collect, each one attracting a lot of people queuing patiently in line. Several hot and cold foods, ice-cream and fresh fruit stalls were dotted around, sumptuous smells wafting over from the grilled meats and toasted bread. Moving into a large square there were several small arena’s set up for Pokemon battles to take place, most of them already underway; spectators crowding around the arenas to cheer for the pokemon and trainers within. Then there were the games taking place ranging from small stall-orientated games to larger multi-person games; the streets seemed to be filled with them and there were so many to choose from.

One in particular looked like it was just about to begin, a young woman dressed in a white knee length sundress with long black hair pulled up into a braided bun trying to attract the attention of the people walking past. She stood on a large square stage and taking up the majority of the stage were hundreds of multicoloured balloons tied down to long black rails swaying gently to and fro. Upon looking closely and taking the time to count you could see that lining the back were 25 shiny orange balloons spaced evenly apart floating 10 metres off the stage. In front of them floating 8 metres off the stage were 50 shiny green balloons and the row before that were 75 shiny red balloons floating 6 metres in the air. On the very last row were 100 shiny blue balloons floating at 4 metres high. One balloon stood out from all the rest, set at the very back in the centre of last row, 15 metres in the air floated a Gold Balloon. Having caught your attention the young woman smiled and blew on a whistle that was around her neck. Suddenly a loud chirping came from above and flying from behind a tall building were 15 Pidgey all in formation swooping down to land on horizontal black rails to the sides of the balloons. Teleporting to stand behind the stage was a single Alakazam who held its spoons up high, its eyes closed in concentration.

“Good morning to you all, my name is Taryn and I have a great game for you and your Pokemon to play if you’re interested.” She said hopping off the stage to approach you. “This is the Hero’s Balloon game and I guarantee there’s no other game like this taking place today. This is a great chance to win some prizes for you and your pokemon. In each of these balloons are tickets corresponding to the colour of the balloon. The blue tickets are worth 5 points, the red tickets 10 points, green tickets 15 points, orange tickets 20 points and the gold ticket is worth 50 points.” She paused watching the confused but curious expressions on the trainer’s faces and beamed, eager to explain the rest of the game.

“For those of you who enter you may choose one Pokemon to play. When it is their turn they will come onto the stage and be given three attempts to pop a balloon. Successfully popping a balloon means you win the ticket inside. Each of your pokemon will take it in turn to enter the stage and use their three attempts to win you tickets and this process will be repeated until all the balloons are popped.”

“In addition,” Taryn continues “"if your Pokemon knows Lock-On or Mind Reader they may use the move to increase their accuracy when shooting for a balloon but they may only use the move once per round and will only have two attempts that round rather than three. At the completion of the game the ticket values will be added together and the trainer and their Pokemon with the most amount of points will be declared the winner and will win first prize. Subsequently there are prizes for second and third places too. For the pokemon who successfully pops the gold balloon there is a very special prize to be won.”

"And finally," Taryn says in a mischievous tone and cheeky glint in her eye, "to make things a little more interesting these Pidgey will be whipping up the air currents with their use of Gust while Alakazam psychically controls the Golden Balloon to make it a lot harder to hit."

With that silent message the Pidgey take off the air flying around the ten meter mark and begin beating their wings hard hitting the balloons with a storm of Gusts. The Orange balloons tumble about wildly from the harsh winds whilst the green balloons being lower down are still affected by the gusts but to a lesser degree than the orange balloons. The red balloons are lower still so swing to and fro a lot less harshly and the blue balloons being the lowest sway about at a much gentler pace. High up past all the other balloons was the gold balloon that shook about sporadically in the air having no real pattern as it was caught by the Pidgey’s Gust and the Alakazam’s Psychic.

Taryn moved to approach the gathered trainers and held out a small bag. “For those of you who want to enter, you may each take a ticket from this bag and it will determine the order of play, the trainer with the lowest ticket number will go first and so on and so forth.”

Meanwhile nearby a spunky young girl with short spiky blonde hair stood next to a large building that said “Seaside City Stadium” on the outside and had large flood lights suspended in the air. She grinned and bounced on the spot excitedly trying to attract the attention of the people near her. Decked in a cowgirl outfit and stood next to a homemade sign that had a picture of a Raikou and several electric pokemon on it she began to speak.

“Howdy y’all. My name is Billy-May and have I got an awesome game for you today. This game is called Raikou Races and if ya wanna know more then follow me,” she said whilst practically bounding off towards the stadium. Following her inside the stadium, through the turnstiles and up a set of stairs you emerge out onto an enormous football pitch. The goal posts had been dismantled and right in the very centre of the pitch there was a race track set up. Approaching the track you could see that the borders of the track were made up of wooden posts with yellow insulated wires covered in a clear plastic running through holes in them. The start and finish points was cleared marked out by large banners suspended across the posts and the track was wide enough for several participants. Billy-May skipped into view and grinned at the gathered trainers.

“Well now I better explain this game to y’all. Raikou Races is a game for trainer and pokemon to play and there are some amazing prizes to be won. Now for you to better understand how this game works, we need to get a closer look …” With a click of her fingers 3 Magnemite appeared each with a video camera strapped to the underside of body. They hovered over the track getting into strategic positions before turning the video cameras on. Pointing over to the big screen at the far end of the Stadium it sprung to life split into three sections each showing what the Magnemite were filming.

“Rakiou Races is just that, a race which involves your Pokemon. You each may choose one pokemon to race with. The racetrack is 100 metres long and the aim of this game is to win the race. Sounds simple enough, no! Well there’s more to this race than meets the eye.” She says with a cheeky grin. “As well as completing the race, at the 50 metre mark there is a special pit stop to be made.” The Magnemite zoomed in on the 50 metre mark showing a large Raikou Statue facing in towards the track.

“Each of your pokemon when they reach this statue has to obtain its treasures. Just below the Raikou Statue are 3 absorbing panels hooked up to 3 lightning shaped chests on the ground. Your Pokemon will need to fire an attack at the absorbing panel and this will trigger the release on the chests allowing your pokemon to grab Raikou’s treasure and carry on with the race. Now if your Pokemon uses an electric attack, it will need only attack once to get the treasure, any other type of attack will require 2 shots before the treasure is released.”

Bubbling with excitement, her beaming grin lighting up her face she revealed more about the game. “There is also another element that makes this race unique, and all the more difficult.” She added, the Magnemite moving over the track to highlight several electric pokemon standing in strategically placed gaps in the posts. They grinned up at the cameras and waved cheekily. “Every 10 metres there are electric Pokemon standing waiting for your Pokemon; should they be unfortunate to stop before them they will receive a shock which will hamper their movements. But don’t worry, the effects are only temporary. Also as part of the race conditions your Pokemon may attack another racer to slow them down but this may also make your own Pokemon lose some pace; it depends on how sneaky you want to be,” Billy-May said chuckling.

“The winner of the race is the Pokemon that collects the treasure and makes it past the finishing line first and first place is awarded a special prize. There are also prizes for second and third places too so it’s well worth entering not to mention great fun. Now all those who want to enter if you could please register here and write down your Pokemon choice. One rule I’m afraid is that flying types are not able to participate for obvious reasons, the electric attacks combined with being in the air when struck proves to be too dangerous in tests so please choose your Pokemon wisely. You will need to decide what attack you would like to use when you reach the Raikou Statue before the race start. You’ll have time to work out strategies before the race start. The Magnemite will be following your Pokemon throughout the race which you can view on the big screen so you’ll never be far away from the action. For all of you entering I wish you Good Luck.” She finished taking a little bow. She hopped over to a small booth awaiting all those who were interested in playing.

Raffle Tickets
An RNG was used to determine the ticket number for each of you:

H = Hit
M = Miss
A Random Number Generator will determine the accuracy of the hit.

Each trainer needs to choose a Pokémon who will use one of their attacks to "shoot" the balloons. Pokémon will have three shots per round. Due to the wind factor, the 5 point blue balloons will be easier to hit than the 10 point red balloons. Those will be easier still than the 15 point greens and the 20 point orange balloons. The gold balloon, worth 50 points, will be the hardest of all. Most importantly, please be specific in regards to which coloured balloons you'd like your Pokémon to aim for.

However, should you use either Mind Reader or Lock-On, the accuracy will be increased but you will lose one of your three turns per round.Blue: FROM 1M; 2-4H; 5M TO 100% hit ratio.Red: FROM 1-3M; 4-7H; 8-10M TO 1-2M; 3-8H; 9-10MGreen: FROM 1-5M; 6-10H; 11-15 TO 1-4M; 5-11H; 12-15MOrange: FROM 1-6M; 7-14H; 15-20M TO 1-5M; 6-15H; 16-20MGold: FROM 1-22M; 23-27H; 28-50M TO 1-19M; 20-30H; 31-50M

Raikou Races Rules
*The track is 100 metres long and an RNG will be used to determine the amount of steps your Pokemon will move. The RNG will cover 10 spaces at a time maximum.
*The Raikou Statue sits at 50 metres and upon reaching it your Pokemon will use their attack on the absorbing panel (the very next turn). Each attack takes up one turn (so if you choose an electric attack it’ll take one turn to release the chest and if you use any other attack it’ll take two turns).
*There are three absorbing panels so three Pokemon may attack them at once. If four or more Pokemon reach the statue at the same time then I will roll an RNG to determine who will attack first, the others will have to wait in line depending on the ordered rolled. If Pokemon arrive after and there are Pokemon still attacking the panels then they will have to wait until one becomes free.
*There are electric Pokemon every 10 metres excluding the start, finish and 50 metre mark. If your Pokemon are unfortunate to stop on one of these spots then they receive a mild Thundershock that will cause them to lose two spaces per turn for the next two turns whereby the effects wear off. If they happen to fall on another electric Pokemon space then they will receive another Thundershock and lose three spaces per turn for two turns before returning to normal. Any further shocks received after this and your Pokemon only loses three spaces per turn for two turns, the effects wearing off after this amount of turns.
*If you choose to use an attack on a fellow Pokemon it will lose one space for each attack used and the attacked pokemon will lose two spaces for each attack received. You may only choose one attack to use and it must be declared before the start of the race.
*Flying Pokemon are not permitted to take part in this race for the reasons stated above.
*Also speed-boosting attacks are not permitted in this race.*Please for everyone entering the Raikou Races note that most abilities will NOT be able to be used. This is to maintain the fairness of the game. So abilities, especially ones like Volt Absorb and Motor Drive that work on absorbing electric attacks will not come into effect.

*Finally GOOD LUCK ^^

My Mistake ...
You can only play one game as they are both taking place at the same time.

The high sun beating down on his face he blows air upward to his face, hoping that it'll at least cool him down, "I hope theres some water around here somewhere Cherry, this heat isn't too great," looking down at his cherry blossom Pokemon he smiles as her happy face basks in the rays, knowing that one of them is liking the sun he pats her on the head as her eyes flicker left and right, the events and sounds looking to excite her more than ever, "I'm glad you like it Cherry......" “Good morning to you all, my name is Taryn and I have a great game for you and your Pokemon to play if you’re interested.” cutting him off in mid sentence he glances ad turns to his right to find the voice that is talking aloud, listening in he gets quiet intrigued.

"Balloon shooting," this places knows what i likes, can't go wrong with balloons, they rock," Listening closely the girl Taryn greets everyone around him, other trainers who have also noticed the girl with a excitable attitude, seeming to get a lot of people interested in the game, looking around and behind her he motions to cherry, "look thats an Alakazam, a very knowledgeable pokemon and a very strong Psychic Pokemon, I wonder what they've got one of those there, and look around the edges, those are Pidgey, flying Pokemon, who evolve into one of the fastest birds in the world." Upon saying these words to Cherry, Taryn finishes hers and wit one swoop of their wings the Pidgey fly into the air and start flapping the Balloons around as a pinkish looking glow warps around the Golden Balloon, waving and moving it around with it's Psychic powers." Oh this looks cool, we've got to enter this Cherry, now who to use, i'm sorry girl but you don't have the right moves for this, the next game I promise, i'll let you enter ok?" With a happy "Cheri" and a smile she accepts.

"Now woh shall we use, we need some projectile type moves," opening his Pokedex again he scrolls through the option to his active team and PC pokemon while looking through the pokemon he has to offer......"Perfect." Holding Cherry with one hand he presses the corresponding button on the dex as a white flash appears from his Pocket, grabbing the new Pokeball that has replaced one of his others he smiles and enlarges the red and white ball, opening it up near by the frosty trail of ice emits from around her, as his faithful Glaile emerges into the open, "Hey Glalie, how you doing, you up for a bit of fun with some balloons, theres this game here i'd like to enter with you and I know you'll be able to kick some arse, so what you think, you in?" A happy "Glagal" is spoken as a yes is nodded, "Good good, now we need a stratagy, lets start off small, go for Red Balloons first and use Ice Beam to hit them, after that go for any Blue Balloons, and follow it up with 2 attempts of the Gold Balloon and a higher coloured one and then a mix of lower and middle tiered balloons that are left.

Lifting his hand up into the air he shouts out so the girl can hear him, "me and Glalie would liek to enter the Ballon game please

Jess and her two Pokémon wandered casually throughout the crowded streets, licking their ice cream and peering curiously at all the stalls they passed, for each one offered something wonderful and exciting for the delighted sightseers to behold. The vendors called out enthusiastically to them as they walked by, readily advertising their wares to any potential costumers. There was food of all sorts, plus souvenirs and commemorative knick-knacks for sale, ranging from charming little ornaments to gigantic stuffed Pokémon that were also being given away as prizes for some of the games.

There was a huge variety of different activities set up on the street for the visitors to enjoy, and Jess’s easily distractible mind couldn’t settle on which they should try first. She turned to her two Pokémon to hear their ideas, and Atzu shook his head dazedly, unable to choose either from so many attractive options. Pip however eagerly pointed towards a stage upon which a young woman stood wearing a white sundress, her long black hair pulled up neatly into a braided bun. Like the sellers, she was obviously trying animatedly to draw the attention of the people walking past. Jess concluded however that the infant was probably attracted instead by the mass of colored balloons rising from the stage, each one swaying gently back and forth in the breeze. They were so numerous that the girl could hardly imagine how the entire platform managed to remain firmly situated on the ground instead of being borne dramatically away over the clouds, and she grinned when she realized that Pippa had probably had the same idea.

They drew closer to the platform and watched with baffled curiosity as the woman paused in her speech in order to sound a whistle that was hanging around her neck, filling the air with a short high-pitched noise. In a moment she received an answer in the form of several birdcalls as a flock of 15 Pidgey swooped down spectacularly from behind a tall building, alighting uniformly upon the horizontal black rails that lined the edges of the stage. In addition an Alakazam appeared miraculously on a small stand behind the stage, its spoons raised and its eyes closed in deep concentration.

The woman smiled and introduced herself to her audience, jumping down off the stage to address the now rather substantial crowd. “Good morning to you all,” she announced cheerfully. “My name is Taryn and I have a great game for you and your Pokémon to play if you’re interested.” She then proceeded to carefully explain the rules of the game, to which Jessica paid close attention to. The object was pop the balloons in order to win points, a task that was made more difficult by the fact that both Pidgey and Alakazam would be using their signature maneuvers to make some of the targets more difficult to hit.

At the end of Taryn’s speech, Jess turned to Atzu, who appeared to be keenly interested in the competition, as evidenced by his rapt concentration during the instructions. “How about it, Zuzu? You want to give it a try?”

He looked at her and nodded. “Zu,” he stated confidently, his sparkling eyes shining with determination. Jessica nodded in agreement.

“I’ll go grab a ticket then. Meanwhile you can finish your ice cream, unless you want me to hold it for you while you play.”

Atzu quickly shook his head and fervently wolfed down the rest of the cone, astonishing his trainer with his speed in doing so. Shaking her head in amazement, she went to retrieve a ticket from the bag (allowing Pip the honor of reaching in and making a selection). While Pip was choosing, Jess examined the stage up close and tried to estimate the number of balloons as well as approximate their movements at different heights. Hence when she returned to Atzu, she was then able to use the information she had gathered to help him formulate a strategy towards winning.

“I think our best bet would be to aim solely for the orange balloons. Don’t worry about any other colors, just keep aiming for orange. If the orange ones are all gone, then try to aim for two blue and one red. Don’t bother with the green balloons until all the blues and reds are gone. It’s probably not worth it to try and pop the gold balloon, so just keep focusing on other colors and try to hit as many as you can. You can use whatever attack you want, though I think BUBBLEBEAM would work best.”

Atzu nodded readily in agreement. Jess smiled, then added, “Most of all, just remember to have fun. Winning isn’t necessary, though I know you’ll do your best. Good luck, Atzu!”

Pippa cheered as well, though it was obvious she hadn’t really understood anything the girl just said except for the last part. An idea suddenly occurred to her, and she indicated that she wanted to be lowered to Atzu’s height. Jess willingly obliged, and the penguin reached over and affectionately gave the Azulmarill a kiss for luck, causing him to blush. The two girls watched in amusement as he toddled off to take his place in line with the other contestants, his face still pink from embarrassment. They giggled and moved to find a good spot where they could see the stage and also cheerfully support their teammate, as all three of them eagerly waited for the game to begin.